Like Zhou, I favor the approach taken by Sherlock, which shows text messages in on-screen titles, though I’m not sure it would fit as well into movies and TV shows that are less stylish. And though Sherlock was the first show I noticed using this technique, Zhou points out that many movies that are less well-known had used it before—if, often, less well. Filmmakers may still not have figured out the best way to depict texting, but they would be wise to put some thought into it, perhaps by taking a look at this sharp analysis from Zhou.